Heartbeat2Downbeat - a blog for musicians and those who hire them
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Can't find an organist for your church?
Well, you are in GOOD COMPANY!
WHAT'S THE SOLUTION?
The process of searching for organists is occurring at a fevered pitch around the nation. Though organ jobs are among the most lucrative of music jobs, there is an undeniable shortage of these skilled musicians. Many retiring organists gave notice last spring, so, as choir season starts up again, their churches are frantically seeking new organists to replace them. But, in many cases, there just aren't any to hire.
Susan Pena, reporter for the Reading Eagle, states that the problem has been building for many years. It has been torturing church boards and music committees in the United States since well before 2017, and it does not appear there will significant relief anytime soon. Organ professors are reporting that, whereas 25 years ago, they would graduate 10 to 15 organ students from their programs, now, they are extremely lucky if they get one or two to apply to learn the instrument.
The American Guild of Organists (AGO) acknowledges the issue by reporting their dwindling membership numbers across America. A decade ago, AGO membership was at 17,000 organists, but it has dropped significantly to what it is today, at 11,500.
The Music Jobs Board, an online resource listing music jobs and other opportunities for musicians, recently launched by Anahata Music Project, has received a high number of Organist job listings from churches. Since I manage the listings, I wondered why there were suddenly so many of these job openings. As a singer who relies mostly on pianists, I was late in realizing this serious need. That is, until my church enlisted my assistance in finding candidates to interview and audition. Now, I am experiencing this challenge first-hand.
Shortly after these job listings for Organist appeared in the Music Jobs Board, I began to also see musicians submitting their applications to apply. "How wonderful!" I thought. Problem solved. But, when I took a closer look at their cover letters and résumés, I saw that nearly all of them were graduate student pianists who had zero, or almost zero, experience playing the organ! If they mentioned the organ at all in their materials, they said they merely intended to start taking lessons during the upcoming semester. Huh?! These people were accomplished pianists. Why they were applying for jobs that plainly said CHURCH ORGANIST in the description headings?
It did not take long for me to realize that these musicians knew what I had been slower to understand; that there are almost no organists out there for churches to hire. These pianist applicants were hoping that churches would give up on filling their organist positions and decide to meet their needs with pianists, instead.
I know of at least one church that did make that choice after a year-long search. They hired a pianist to take over all the instrumental work. I find that solution to be understandable, and even commendable for solving their problem by hiring a professional musician. But it is a sad compromise for any church whose members have enjoyed and appreciated their organ as part of their worship experience.
Another solution, as Pena describes in her article, is to bridge the gap with a digital organ. This technology can be installed on an existing organ to function much like a player piano. It will play hymns and well-known sacred pieces by itself, and can be operated at the touch of a smart phone through an app.
This is an example of technology presenting itself as an easy (though not inexpensive) and immediate fix to a confounding problem. Of course, it also eliminates the participation and employment of a human being; a musical artist. It is therefore likely an unsatisfactory long-term solution for those who appreciate the warmth and unique artistry of an organist at the keyboard.
The only other alternative, it seems, is to commit to a much longer-term goal of repopulating the pool of trained organists. This may be the time for churches and music departments in colleges and universities to think creatively about partnerships to attract talented keyboard musicians to the organ again. Graduating students, then, could be placed into more of these church jobs. These types of arrangements would take commitment and planning, but may be worth the effort. Successful "Organ Scholar" models might then be replicated across the country.
I am not advocating for the rejection of technology, nor the rejection of hiring pianists. Let us keep and respect these options, which, no doubt, will be welcome solutions for some churches. But let us also work to preserve our beautiful organs and the skilled artistry of organ performance. I believe there are many who are enthusiastic about preserving this beautiful instrument's role in worship and secular performance. Let us look for ways to motivate a new generation of keyboard musicians to learn to play it.
-- Susan Schwarz, Founder & CEO, Anahata Music Project
Coming soon: WHERE DID ALL THE CHURCH ORGANISTS GO?! - Part 2